Two Worlds
by moaasjoholm
Summary: Post 2x22. The hunt for Henry goes in a direction no one had expected. Emma and Neal reunite sooner than expected, int he most unexpected way. Swanfire, Snowing, The Charmings. In some parts very family fluffish. I own nothing but the words. These characters belong to the creators of Once Upon A Time
1. Chapter 1

It had been three days already. Three days of constant sailing. Fighting. Crying. Worrying. Puking.

Ever since The Jolly Rogers had left the doc back in Storybrook, I had been more or less a wreck. The first few hours had been spent beside Hook, squeezing every little detail about Neverland, the shadow, Greg & Tamara and the journey there out of him. When I finally felt like I couldn't squeeze anything more out of him I'd found a place at the front of the ship where I could see everything that was going on, and there I had started too loose my self completely. All the thoughts about Neal, and Henry and the near-death-experience with the trigger in Storybrook came to me. I sat there a long while trying to sort my thoughts and emotions out before doing anything else. After a few hours my mom had joint me. I suspected that my mother had been watching me the hole time, but been trying to give me space to breath before taking any discussions.

Snow had done nothing more than give her daughter a hug of comfort before she had tried to get her to talk. Emma had not been up for talking so instead mother and daughter had for a few hours just been sitting in each others arms.

Day two had been worse than day one. Non of them had managed to get any sleep during the night so they were all in bad moods. Gold and Regina had gotten in to a fight that could have ended badly if the others hadn't stepped in to stop it.

When Hook gave the information that there was no food whatsoever on the ship, I had felt how the tears were getting closer again. I found out during the day that neither I nor my father did good without sleep or food. In fact Snow seemed to be the only one to have the strength to keep her chin up. Unfortunately, Snow on the other hand got very seasick and started puking that night. She told me and Charming that she was fine, but we could both see how the strength in her weakened and soon she laid unable to get up sitting without spitting old food around her. I could see my own fear in my fathers eyes when we both sat by Snows side the morning of the third day. She had lost a lot of fluid and energy being sick, and without anything to replace what her body gotten rid of she got real sick. I could see the panic in Charming's eyes while he without luck was trying to find something to feed his wife with.

When the third day's afternoon light started to take over the boat, Hook finally announced that they had arrived. To Neverland. Myself along with Charming, Regina and Gold stood at the front as the finally reached shore. We were there. I went to pick up a sword and got ready to go of searching for my son.

"Emma, we can't go in there without a plan", Charming said when he saw his daughter picking weapons, getting ready for a possible fight.

"Yes, what we need is to go, who knows how much time we are loosing just standing here", I answered.

"I have to agree with your father here Emma", Gold said. "Everything works so much better if we all have something to go on"

"Well let's make a plan as we go", I said waving my hand at the beautiful island. I started to panic again. We were finally ashore and my hope had started to grow when Hook finally said we were there. That hope started to fade and I stared at my father with plead in my eyes. All I wanted was to get of the ship and start the actual search. I looked at Hook in hope for help but he just shook his head.

"I know this island, las, and I can promise you that if you take a single step on it without have a backup plan if anything was to happen, you'd be dead in an hour"

I turned my head against Regina in a last attempt to get this my way. Regina seemed torn. It took a few seconds but when Regina finally answered she did not say what I wanted her to.

"I think it might be best for everyone. We all need food 'cause without it we wont have the energy to get Henry back"

I was furious with all of them. Speechless. They would rather eat than look for my son?! I was just about to tell them that if they didn't want to come I'd go by my self, when my eyes stopped at my mothers little body a few metres away. She was rolled into a ball, with a blanket wrapped around her, exhausted by being so sick. Snow had lost a lot being sick and something in me changed when I saw my mother like this. It was terrifying and my instincts told me to do everything in my power to make her feel good again.

I looked back at my father before saying anything.

Charming knew exactly what Emma had been looking at and knew that Emma's protective instincts over her mother had begun to burn. He looked back at her with as much plead in his eyes as she had given him moments before.

"Fine. But how are we going to find food here? Don't we have to go ashore to do that?", I asked.

"Well, that depends", Hook replied. I raised an eyebrow.

"On what?", i said.

"If we can get the mermaids to help us, we do not need to enter the island, but if the are on a stubborn mood today, I'd say we most likely would have to go there anyway", Hook said and walked to the side of his ship. Me and the others watched with amaze as Hook called and talked to a mermaid. He communicated with her in the strangest ways and non of us four watching could tell if Hook was able to convince the mermaid to get us food or not. After a few minutes Hook turned to the rest of us with an angry look on his face. He muttered something to himself before dropping the news that we would have to go ashore the island ourselves to find our food.

A few minutes later everyone was ready to go ashore. But Charming doubted, he didn't want to leave Snow alone and unattended. He refused to get in the life boat. Not until Gold promised to cloak the ship so no one uninvited could come in Charming got along.

When we reached shore everything was very quiet. Above the long beach that surrounded the island it looked like a giant rainforest. Beautiful, giant and terrifying. We all stood and took the big forest in for a second before I took the first step into it.

"Look for fruit. Don't eat anything you can't recognise. And stay close to each other", Hook said.

We all nodded in response of understanding but I had other plans than to look for food. The concern for my mother was almost wiped away completely when I saw the huge forest. Somewhere inside it was my son, my Henry. Alone and scared. Charming could take care of Snow. Henry needed me more.

It all looked like I was looking for fruit but really, I was just looking for any sing of human presence. Any sign that humans had been there. My heart skipped a beat when I finally found a human footprint on a trail. It looked like one of a naked foot, and it seemed rather fresh. I went into my own bubble and started follow the footprint. A bit down the trail I found more. My excitement grew, I could almost feel my son getting closer to me. When I had walked a long way down the trail I couldn't find any more footprints. The confusion flamed and I started to look closer around. No one was around, I was in the middle of nowhere, and I had no idea how to get back to the others. Crap.

My eyes searched the view around me and I found something interesting. Deep in the forest, who started to darken more and more, there was a little light. And it was not a sun light. It was more of a fire, a bonfire. I started to walk towards it, and didn't care a bit about trails or where I put my feet any more. I was getting closer and closer, but I stopped when I heard something behind me. No, not something, someone, my dad.

"Emma?! EMMA?!", he shouted from somewhere. I couldn't see him. "EMMA!" He kept screaming, with panic in his voice. I wanted to scream back, but was afraid to be heard by someone else.

"EMMA?! EMMA? EMMA!", he continued to scream in panic, and I could hear his voice coming closer. I was just about to shout back at him when his sculpture begun to turn up behind the trees. I waved at him and even if I was almost a hundred metres away, I could see his body relax in relive, and he started to run towards me.

"I'm fine!", I called back to my father and started to slowly walk towards him.

I stopped by surprise when Charming now about fifty metres away from me also suddenly stopped. His eyes got refilled with panic and he put his hands up like he was trying to stop something coming at him. His mouth started to form a word but it seemed like he couldn't get it out. I was stunned by my fathers weird acting, but realised one second to late someone was standing behind me. I had the time to spin around and get a glimpse of Greg Mendell swinging something towards me, before the ground came rushing. The last thing I heard was my father's panicked screaming before everything got black and my conscience slipped away.


	2. Chapter 2

When I woke up, I could feel tree roots and bumps in the ground annoy my back. I was obviously lying on the ground. I could hear voices around me but was not able to tell who was saying what. I opened my eyes and made a bad attempt to try and sit up. My head was hurting. Everyone around me seemed to freeze when I woke up, and after a few seconds I could feel someone pull me up on my feet. My vision was still bad so I could not tell who or what it was that helped me up. But I was sure it wasn't Charming. These hands was strong as Charming's was, but not as gentil. The man didn't let go of me when I finally had the balance to stand up, and held my arms tight.

When I finally was able to clear my vision I was shocked by the scene in front of me. There was a bonfire just like I had seen before. But before me stood my father, Regina, Gold and Hook, held as prisoners by big men. I starred at Charming who seemed to only have eyes for me to. His eyes shone by panic, rage, and concern. I gave him a little nod and tried to send a comforting look to, but was not sure if I succeeded. Also my rage flamed when I saw Tamara and Greg standing by the bonfire, smiling.

"You can let go of the four of them", Tamara said with a nod towards Charming, Hook, Regina and Gold. The big men holding them took a step back.

"What?! Why? Don't you think we need them?", Greg said looking at Tamara.

"They wont go anywhere", Tamara answered with a smile towards me. "Not while we still have her" Greg looked confused for a second before he realised what she was saying. And of course she was right. I knew my father would never leave me, Gold owed me after everything, Hook sort of owed us all not to leave and Regina would probably not find her way out by her self.

"What do you want?", I asked Tamara.

She just kept smiling. For her own sake, she did good by having someone holding me, 'cause I knew that if I wouldn't be stuck on the spot I would with al certainty be lying over her trying my best to kill her by now. The rage about her shooting Neal, trying to blow up Storybrook and kidnapping my son, made me think of vengeance in a new perspective.

Tamara whispered something to Greg and he disappeared into the forest. Tamara started walking towards me and Charming made a move in our direction. The one that had been holding him a few moments ago made a move and Charming stopped, but he didn't take his eyes off of Tamara. And she didn't take her off of me. I stared back at her.

"What did you do to my son?", I asked her.

"Don't worry, you'll see him again", she answered. The surprise of Tamara's answer mirrored on my face. Her smile brightened.

"I will?", I asked her.

"Oh yes, I can promise you that you will see your son again", she said. I stopped fighting the man holding me.

"What's the catch?", I asked.

"Catch? There is no catch. You will see him, I can promise you that. I can also promise he will be alive by the time you do. But than if you will be able to talk to him, or take him away from here is another thing", Tamara said and waited for my reaction.

The first thing I heard was the part with me seeing him, and the promise that he would be alive by the time. But when the rest sunk into me and I understood her words I started to fight to get loose again. Tamara just stood there watching my useless attempts to free myself.

After a few minutes of silence Greg returned. What he was holding in his arms made me stop fight again. Henry. Henry. He was there. Just metres away. I looked at him and he looked back at me. His first reaction was a smile and I saw excitement in his eyes. Than his face changed. He realised I was captured, that Regina or Charming had no way of doing anything either. We had found him, but was about to loose him again. Greg stopped when he and Henry stood about ten metres from both me and from Charming, Gold, Hook, and Regina. Regina started to take a few steps towards Henry. Good! I thought. If I can't get to him, maybe she would be able to. I was a bit surprised by the fact that neither Gold or Regina had tried to use magic yet.

As soon as the others realised Regina was moving towards Henry a lot of things happened very fast. Weapons was pointed at Regina, Greg moved Henry a few metres away, and the man behind me took a stronger grip around me and held a knife towards my throat.

"If anyone moves any more, she will die!", Tamara yelled and pointed at me. The man holding me had my chin pointed up but I was able to see some things. My father held out a hand and pulled Regina back into their little group, but he kept his eyes on the knife against my throat and his free hand resting on the place where there was supposed to be a sword. My last hope was fading and panic was bubbling up inside of me again. I turned and got a gaze of Henry and Greg.

"Greg", I said, and my voice sounded like a trumpet in the silence. Everyone turned to me.

"Greg, don't do this", I said and heard the sound of desperation in my own voice. Tamara started saying something but I cut her of.

"Greg, I know what happened to you as a boy. I know how you got separated from your father. And I feel for you. Think of Henry. Lets just ignore who he is, what you want him for, and who he is related to.", I said and I knew I had gotten Greg's attention. I continued my speech.

"You see Regina as a villain. You see her as the reason you didn't get a chance to grow up and have the childhood you wanted, right? You think that Regina is the most horrible person existing. That is how Henry will see you. Henry is going to see you and Tamara as the two people who ripped him away from his family. We are a complicated family, yes. But we hold on to each other and love each other. Do you want to be the one to ruin that? Do you want to be the reason to someone having the same pain as you got to know as a boy? I know I wouldn't want to be"

Silence fell again when I got quiet. I knew I had reached out to Greg, and I saw him loosen his grip of Henry's arm. I got a glimpse of Tamara, who seemed furious. I saw her pulling her hand into her jacket and pulling out something. I know what is was before I saw it. The last bean. She was going to jump portals again, bring Henry to yet another world and we would have to chase them down again.

Tamara threw the bean on the ground and for the fourth time in three days a green spinning hole occurred in front of us. Just a meter away from me. I was waiting for Tamara to give orders to Greg and jump down the portal with Henry, but when she turned around she surprised me again. It wasn't Greg she was turning to, but me. She looked at the man holding me. The four people standing across the bonfire was once again held by the big men behind them.

"Do it", Tamara ordered.

Once again I was too slow to realise what was happening. A pain, greater than anything I had ever felt, occurred in my stomach. I wanted to scream but no sound came out of me. I could hear both dad and Henry screaming my name. I looked over at the two people around who I loved the most. They both realised I was dying. That the knife who was pointed at my throat was now inside my waist. My dad fought worse than ever to get to me, but the man holding him didn't let go. I turned my head to get a last look at my son when I felt myself falling. I tried my hardest to keep myself conscience. The man holding me had obviously let me go, and I was getting closer and closer to the ground. No wait, it wasn't the ground. It was the portal. I was falling into the portal. That was what Tamara had planned. But why? Why me, and why now? I knew I would be dead and gone in just a few seconds so I stopped fighting. I let the unconsciousness take over me, and I sunk in to the portal who was also my death. The last thing I heard was dad's broken voice screaming my name. Than I was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

I held out my arm to hint Regina to get back to us, but my eyes could not let go of my daughter. The big man behind her held a little, but very much dangerous, knife against her throat. I knew that if any of us did anything drastic the big man would not give a second thought before killing Emma. I looked at Henry, who looked at Emma.

How on earth would I be able to get both Emma and Henry back to the ship? I was starting to panic. I wished Snow was here, in some ways. Of course I didn't want her to be here and was glad she was back at the ship, in safety. But she was always so good at talking herself out of danger. That would have been useful now. Emma started talking. She talked to Greg, and I could see she had got her mothers talent of touching people with her words.

Greg's hand held around my grandson's arm loosed a little and I suspected Henry could get loose if he tried to. But he was smart and didn't want to awake any more fights. Greg had melted and it seemed as he had given up. But not Tamara.

She pulled something out of her jacket and not until another portal started to grow on the ground close to where Emma stood I realised what she had pulled out was a bean. Once again someone grabbed my arms and I realised something more than Tamara and Greg jumping through a portal was happening. I heard Tamara say "Do it" and a second later the knife I had held my eyes on against Emma's throat was by the man holding her was stabbed into her waist.

I could hear myself along with Henry scream. I tried my hardest to get to her, but the man didn't let me go. I saw how Emma started to fall and realised that the portal was meant for her to fall into. NO, NO, NO, NO! I couldn't lose her. Not again. I had stopped her from jumping trough the portal after Henry back in Storybrook. I couldn't lose her now. Not when we had gotten this far. But there was nothing I could do.

I kept fighting but it didn't stop my daughter to fall into the portal and disappear. I called after her, but it was to late. She was gone.

A light got us all to fall down. I got up faster than any one else and ran over to Henry. Emma was gone, she was actually gone, but I had to focus about getting my grandson to safety. I owed Emma that.

I grabbed Henry's arm and swung him up on my back. Than I started to run. Hook, Regina and Gold was also up and when they saw me grabbing Henry they all started to run too. Gold ran surprisingly well for having a limp. We ran for almost fifteen minutes before we reached the beach.

I refused to think about the fact that my daughter was dead. I had a huge knot in my stomach but I didn't have time. I had to deal with that later.

When we finally got on the ship no one said anything. Silence. Tears started to fall down my cheeks and I hugged my grandson. He sobbed against my shoulder and started to cry louder.

"Mum. Mum. Mum", he kept crying. His mother was gone. After a unknown amount of time he pulled out of the hug and fell into Regina's arms instead. Regina seemed to be in nothing more than chock. The same with Gold and Hook.

I looked over at my wife she was still sleeping. These news would kill her more than any seasickness ever could. I felt really guilty. I couldn't save our daughter and now she was gone, forever.


	4. Chapter 4

I was still now. Couldn't move. Dead. I would never see my family again. And my last memories of them was my mum lying sick on the ship, my dad held against his will by an unknown man and my son, held away from his family. But I knew my words had moved Greg and I had a little hope that Greg would change his mind and let Henry go. Cause then someone would take care of him. Even if it wasn't me, or Neal, he would have someone.

I knew my parents would protect him with their lives, and he also had Regina. And after the tree of them Henry even had Gold. I felt comforted by the thought, and I got hope. I felt like I could go in peace, maybe even be reunited with Neal.

I felt as if I was flying. Was this death? It was very dark. And I thought I wouldn't have any memories in death, that I would just be gone. Like a dreamless night.

But no, I knew exactly who I was, and whom I loved. If this was death I didn't know if I would make it, cause I didn't want the memories. I could bring the happy memories out now, but eventually there will be no more happy memories and the bad and horrible ones will come and I would suffer for all eternity. I didn't want that.

I tried to get out of the darkness but it seemed impossible. I started to panic. How could this happen?! I tried to calm myself with the picture of my little family somewhere, happy. It helped for a while.

When I started hearing voices the picture disappeared and I listened.

"She have a bad wound", someone said. A man.

"Can you fix it?", a woman said. I knew that voice! But from where?

"I don't know", said the man's voice "Get Mulan" Mulan! Of course. The woman's voice I had heard belonged to Aurora. But where was I? Was I really dead? I tried to listen to something more they said, but no one spoke. After a while I heard steps running over the ground. Tree pair of feet I thought. So now there was four people around me.

"Emma? Oh my god! No… do something!", someone said and I could nearly open my eyes. Neal?! Neal! But he was dead! I saw him falling through the portal. I knew he was dead! Was I dead anyway? I wanted to scream his name but once again I couldn't. I felt Neal's hand grab my left. He held it tight.

"Please, tell me she's gonna be okey", Neal said with desperation in his voice. He pressed my hand tight between his.

"Yes, I am pretty sure I can fix this", the man's voice said. I got a small hope. I may survive.

"Really?!", Neal asked and seemed as relived as I felt.

"Yeah, her heart is weak but I have seen worse. It might take a while but she's going to be just fine", the man's voice said again. I wanted to scream of happiness but could still not get a single word out of my mouth, it was a bit weird.

"Thank you! Thank you, Philip!", Neal said. Philip! Of course! But wasn't he dead? I thought Mulan and Aurora had said that Philip had died. But it really didn't matter.

"Where did you find her?", Neal asked

"In the forest. Not very far from the beach where we found you", Aurora said.

"When will she wake up?", I heard Mulan ask.

"I don't know exactly but I don't think it should be long", Philip answered. So I would wake up soon? Good. Cause I was really tired of lying here not able to speak my mind.

"Mulan, can you reach me that bowl? I have to dab her wound.", Philip said. And he did. When the substance that he dabbed it with touched my waist, I just wanted to scream. It hurted almost as much as the knife itself had done. In my head I screamed for my life but out of my mouth came just a little squeak. I was a bit shocked to hear my own voice, even if it was very low and cracked.

"Emma?", Neal said. He had heard me. Philip stopped dabbing my wound. "Emma, are you awake?" I tried to form a word, but once again a squeak was all that came out of my mouth. But it was enough for now.

"Oh Emma. Hold on, we are going to patch you up. You are going to be fine", Neal said.

"Neal", I managed to say with my broken, cracked, low voice.

"Yes Emma, Yes. It's me. I'm here and I'm going to protect you. I won't let you die", he said.

I think I managed to give him a little smile before I lost conscious again.


	5. Chapter 5

She was gone. I didn't want to believe it. My daughter. My little girl. When I had woken up and Charming had told me what had happened, it was the worst moment in my life. And I have a few horrible moments to compare it to.

I had started crying, and Charming had held me. He held me for hours. Henry had joined us to. I felt sorry for him to. He had lost both his dad and his mum within the time period of four days.

It had gone two days science the news about my daughter's death had reached me. I was still crying. I didn't think the tears would ever stop. Both Charming and Henry had cried rivers to, and the rest of the ship just seemed to be in shock.

Hook had managed to somehow figure out a way to get us back to Storybrook, and that was where we were heading. Charming had protested in the beginning, saying that he wanted to find out where Emma had landed and go after her. Even if he couldn't save her life he wanted to bring her body home. But with the arument that we didn't know in which world Emma had landed in and that we needed to take Henry to safety before doing anything else, he had bowed.

"Mary-Margaret", Charming said when he sat beside me with two plates of food in his hands.

Hook , Gold and Regina had collected food and fixed water for the trip back before we started it.

I didn't answered my husband. He sighed.

"Snow", he said and the sound of my name made me snap out of my thoughts. I looked at him, he looked broken. I realised that I hadn't comforted him a thing after our daughter's death, while he had done everything in his power to make me feel better during these two days.

I felt very guilty, so I wrapped my arms around him in an embrace and burrowed my face in his chest. He held me tight and I could feel him sob against my neck.

"I'm sorry", he said. "I am so sorry for this". I tangled myself out of the embrace and looked at him.

"What do you mean? You have nothing to be sorry for", I told him and putted my hand on his cheek.

"Yes, I have. I was not able to save her. I wasn't even able to protect my own daughter", he cried. Finally I understood what he was so upset about and pulled him in into another hug. He blamed himself. That was crazy. I, Henry, everyone knew that if there would have been any chance for him to save Emma he would have.

"Don't say that", I whispered to him. "Non of this was your fault. I know that you fought and tried your hardest to save Emma. I know that you would have given your own life if it meant her's would be saved. You could have done nothing different, so please don't blame yourself."

He sobbed a little higher and held me tighter. Held me tight, as if he would die if he let go. I knew he thought that was what was going to happen if he did. So we sat there, holding eachother.

Eventually Henry joined us again and the tree of us sat there holding eachother together, crying over our lost family member.


	6. Chapter 6

I felt my conscience coming back to me and after a few struggling minutes I could finally open my eyes.

The light burned in my eyes but I didn't care much. I looked around and tried to move. When I did I noticed someone lying on my arm sleeping. Neal.

He noticed I was awake and sat straight up looking at me. I was amazed. In wonder. He sat there, so unbelievably beautiful, and alive. He looked at me in the same amaze as I looked at him. I reached out a hand to touch him. He took it and pressed it against his cheek. He was real.

"Emma..", he whispered.

"Neal", I replied, unable to take my eyes off of him.

"You are alive", I said. He nodded.

"Yeah, yeah Emma, I am"

"How?"

"I was saved just as you were. By Aurora, Philip and Mulan."

"Ah"

"You was in a pretty bad shape"

"I was?"

"Mhm, what happened?"

"Tamara"

"I'm going to kill her if I ever see her again"

"Really?"

"You don't believe me?"

"I believe you"

"Good"

Than we stopped talking. He just looked deep into my eyes and than he bowed and kissed me. Our lips touched and I was home. Tallahassee. We kissed to make up for the eleven years, our eleven long years apart.

"I love you", he whispered against my lips.

"I love you too"


	7. Chapter 7

The first thing I did when I got of the ship was to fall into Ruby's arms. She, Granny, Belle, The dwarves, Blue, Archie, Pongo, and a lot of other people had been waiting and greeting us by the doc when we got back to Storybrook.

It took a while for everyone to understand why no one came of the ship cheering. When they finally understood and got everything explained for them a sad silence fell over the doc.

Ruby held me tight and for the first time in very long I felt like we weren't Ruby and Mary-Margaret, just Red and Snow. This was my best friend, the only one except for Charming and Emma who ever have had the capacity to make me feel safe. I cried against her shoulder for a while before Charming came and took over, led me to a car to get us home. But I didn't want to go home, not without Emma.

When we arrived at the apartment it was so very quiet. Everything was exactly as we had left it, even the broken plate with the uneaten toast. We were silent for a moment before Henry broke the silence. He wanted to stay with us a few days, and Regina who actually didn't want to make any trouble had agreed.

"What do we do now?", he said.

"I don't know kid. We will have to figure it out as we go", Charming said and Henry nodded.

"Can I sleep on the couch tonight? I don't want to be alone upstairs", Henry said.

"Of course Henry", I said. "Go get some pillows and a sheet and I will help you with it"

Henry hurried up the stairs and when he was out of sight I looked at my husband again, but he didn't look back at me. He was looking at a picture on the counter.

A picture of Emma, Henry, Charming and me, all of us laughing. It had been taken that night at Granny's, the night after me and Emma had gotten back from the Enchanted Forest. I knew everything felt so difficult at the time, but when I looked at the picture it all seemed so perfect, and I would have done anything to get back there.

Charming picked up the picture and held it in his hands like it was made of pure gold. I saw a tear drip down on the glas of the frame and I took a step towards him and wrapped my arms around him.

"We have to stay strong", I said with tears in my own eyes "We have to stay strong for her."

He nodded, putted down the frame and turned to me. I had never seen him this broken. Not when I had lied and told him I didn't love him, not when his mother had died, not even when he took our daughter in his arms to take her to the wardrobe had he looked this broken. He had always stayed so strong. But now he wasn't, so I had to take more responsibility and help us all get trough this.

We heard Henry get down the stairs so we invited him into the hug aswell. It had been an awful lot of hugging the latest days. But we did it anyway.

"I already miss her", Henry said and I felt my throat tighten.

"So do we Henry, so do we"


	8. Chapter 8

"We have to get back", I said when we finally separated our lips.

"I know", Neal said. "We are working on it". His eyes left mine for a second and glanced over at the three other people who now were coming towards us. Aurora gave me a little smile when she sat down next to me.

"How are you feeling?", she asked.

"A bit dizzy. My stomach hurts a little, but nothing a can´t bear", I answered.

"You lost a lot of blood so I am not surprised you feel a little dizzy. I will have you resting for a couple of days before you get up, but I believe you will be just fine", Philip reported.

"Thank you!", I said and tried to give him a grateful look.

"How did you get here, Emma?", Mulan asked and took a place by my feet.

"That's a story I think we all want to hear", Neal said and pressed my hand. I took a deep breath, thought for a few seconds before I spoke.

"After you had fallen though the portal, Neal, Tamara and Greg found a trigger who was about to blow Storybrook of the map and kill every person who was born in a the Enchanted Forest. But we were able to stop it. After that Tamara and Greg kidnapped Henry and brought him to Neverland.."

"What!? They what?! To Neverland?!", Neal almost yelled, looking at me with panic in his eyes.

"Tamara kidnapped Henry from his family and brought him to Neverland?", he asked, trying to act calm. I nodded.

"I was just as panicked as you are. For a moment I thought I was going to die myself. You were dead as far as I knew, and Henry was gone. The only people actually holding me together was my parents, and the hope that Henry might still be alive somewhere. But Hook offered his ship and with the last bean we found we could go to Neverland. Well in Neverland we found Henry at this camp sight where he was held by Greg and Tamara. I remember big men holding us so we couldn't get away and Greg holding on to Henry. I begged Greg to let him go and I think I reached out when Tamara gave some orders, which I have no idea where they came from, to apparently stab me in the stomach. And than she opened a portal and pushed me in there. And after that you know the rest.", I finished. The four people around me looked stunned for a moment, that was obviously not what they had expected to hear. Neal was the first one to break the silence.

"Who followed to Neverland and how on earth did you know it was there you had to go to find Henry?", he asked with thin voice. I pressed his hand a little tighter, knowing he needed support too.

"It was me, my parents, your father, Regina and Hook. And we knew were to go because your dad had this weird globe who he with a little blood could trace where Henry were"

Neal nodded but didn't say anything else, it looked as if he was dragged into his own thoughts. But I couldn't let him stay there.

"That is why we have to get back, to make sure Henry is okay", I said. He nodded again. I looked over at Mulan, Philip and Aurora.

"Do you know anything that could get us home?", I asked. The three of them exchanged looks before Philip spoke.

"Perhaps", he said.

"Perhaps?", I said.

"Yes. We have one possible plan. But it's not a strong one", said Mulan.

"What is it?"

"Well, we actually stole it from the last time you and your mother was here", she answered. "We thought about the beanstalk, and the beans on top"

"But the beans were destroyed, that's what Anton said", I said and the little hope I had started to feel in my chest faded slowly.

"Yes, they were. But Lake Nostos have generating water, and if we find one bean who is burned or whatever, the lake may be able to fix it", Mulan explained and the hope started to rise again.

"You really think so?", I said and looked at Neal, who looked back at me with as much hope as I felt.

"Maybe, we wont know until we are there", she said.

"Okay, let's go", I said and tried to stand up. Bad idea. The four people cried out and Neal forced me back into lying position. He looked strictly at me.

"Now I know you are not much for rules, but like it or not, the one where you are ordered to lie down resting for a couple of days, you are going to follow".


	9. Chapter 9

"Does that thing work on people who are… not with us, as well?", Charming asked when Gold sat the enchanted globe on the table. We were at Granny's with the intention of finding out where Emma and Neal were to bring them back home. I grabbed Charming's hand to let him know I was right beside him.

"I guess we'll see", Gold answered. "If we are lucky Bea and Emma landed in the same world, then our search will be so much easier". He pressed his finger on the top of the globe and dropped a small drop of blood on the surface of the globe.

It started to spin right away and stopped with a red map and a flickering darker red spot. We all knew where that was.

"The Enchanted Forest", Gold said short. "That's where he is. Now to Emma". He looked at me and Charming who confused stared back. He sighed.

"To find a person you need the blood of them. Or from a relative by blood. I could trace Henry 'cause he is my grandson, and I could trace Bae 'cause he is my son. What I can not do, is trace Emma, science I am not realted to her by blood. I need the blood of one you three", he said and kept looking at me, Charming and Henry, who was standing in front of us. Without a second thought, Charming took a step forward and placed his finger on the top of the globe. Just like it did when Gold dripped his blood on the globe it started to spin, and just like when Gold did it the globe stopped after a few seconds.

We all gasped when we saw the flickering red spot who told us where my daughter was.

"They are home", I whispered.

"Together", Henry said with a broken voice, I grabbed his shoulder. It must kill him to see where his parents was, but also know non of them were alive.

"I guess we are going home", Charming said with thin voice.

"As soon as we figure out a way to get there", Gold said and stood up. "Find me when you have"

"You are not going to help us?", I asked, chocked.

"I don't have much hope when it comes to find my son again. And besides, are you really so sure you want to Emma?"

"What do you mean?", Charming argued.

"What I mean, Charming, is that I don't think you have thought this through. Do you really want to see your child, dead? I know I don't want to"

"Of course I don't want to see my daughter like that. I already know it will be the hardest moment in my life. I know it will be harder than when I had to put her in that wardrobe, alone. I know it will be even harder than when I got to see her fall through that portal, fall towards her death. I know it will be a pain more painful than anything I have ever felt to see my daughter.. dead, to see that what I have always feared has happened. I know that, but I also know that she deserve better that to be left somewhere without anyone to tuck her in a last time and no one to tell her a last time how much they love her. I never got the chance to tell her that, and I want to say it to her, even if she no longer can hear me."

Silence fell when Charming stopped talking and I could feel tears on my cheeks again. Even Gold seemed a bit moved by the speech.

"Fine. Whatever you say. But we still have no idea how to get there, and I don't think we will find our answer here. I'll find you if I come up with something and I am sure you will find me too, if you do.", Gold said, stood up, grabbed Belle and left the diner.

When the door belle went quiet Charming turned and faced me and Henry. He took a few steps forward and cupped my cheeks in his hands. I saw the faith in his beautiful blue eyes.

"We are going to find Emma", he said and whiped the tears from my face. I nodded.

"I know. Like always"


	10. Chapter 10

I immediately collapsed when we got on to solid ground. My breath was unsteady and I felt Neal's hand on my back.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine"

"Where do we go from here?", Aurora asked. She seemed to be as out of breath as I was, which made me feel a bit better.

"I don't know but I have a feeling we will find out sooner if we split up. Emma and Neal can go one way and you, me and Mulan go another", Philip said.

"There is a big vault behind those doors. In there, there's several big doors who leads to more vaults. In there we can split up and start the search.", I said.

"How are we going to find out if the others have found anything?", Mulan asked.

"We 'kaa'", I said and heard Neal chuckle behind me.

"What?"

"I'm kidding. No, then we just have to find the others"

"Okay, see you later then.", Philip finished and grabbed Auroras hand before moving towards the big doors.

"So, did it hurt?", Neal asked me. I didn't have to ask what he meant.

"Well to be honest, I don't remember too much of just that, but the parts I do remember was rather painful, yes", I answered and I could see him nodd behind me.

"What about you? Did it hurt?", I asked him.

"Well, I was actually more worried about you and Henry to feel much pain of my own", he said and I was stunned by his honesty.

"You were worried about me?", I asked and stopped walking, just stared at him.

"Yeah, you weren't worried about me?", he asked and turned to me with a little smile. I resisted rolling my eyes.

"Of course, but I wasn't the one who was shot"

"No you were the one who was stabbed"

"You know what I mean"

"Fine. Well I just tried to put my self in your possition, and I know if you were the one to fall through a portal minutes after being shot, and I had to tell our son, and your parents, that you probably were dead, and on top of that melt it on my own, I would more or less have a breakdown."

Once again he suprised me by his honesty. Usually he would just make a joke and change the subject.

"I did", I said with a thin voice.

"You did what?"

"I did have more or less a breakdown". This time I was surprised over the honesty of my own words.

"You did?"

"Yeah. More, in the terms of being seconds from tears and spilling some by time to time,I was way more vulnerable than I usually am, and I delt like there was a part of me missing. And less, in the terms of not being able to show it all the time. Especially in front of Henry, but everyone else too, when the world was about to dissapear beneath our feet".

I could see some emotions flicker in his eyes but could not really read them.

"If I had to deal with that too, I would definitely have a breakdown", he said after a few seconds of silence.

"Are you doubting my love for you, mister?", I asked him with a smirk.

"Not at all. I was just in a discrete way trying to get you to show your love with another way than with words, maybe with a kiss" He smirked back at me.

"When it comes to the 'discrete' part, I have to inform that you failed", I said when he took a few steps towards me and cupped my cheeks.

"Did I succeed in any parts?"

"The 'get a kiss' part", I said before I leaned in to him and our lips tuched again.

The kiss told me about all the feelings I could not read from his eyes. Happiness, anger, sorrow, joy, passion and love.

When we separated our lips, we both pulled eachother into an embrace.

"Did that show you how much I love you", I asked against his chest. "Did that show you that I love you more than my own life?"

"It did"

"Good"

We stood scilent in eachothers embrace a few more minutes before Neal spoke.

"What exactly is it we are looking for?", He said

"Well, I'm not really sure. But I'm guessing something like a bean", I answered.

"It couldn't be that?", he said and I looked up at him, who had his sight fixated on something in front of us.

I followed his eyes and felt my heart skip a beat when I saw what he was looking the huge doors, was a giant garden, filled with burned plants.

"I would say it is exactly that"


	11. Chapter 11

I flinched when Gramps slammed his fist in the table.

"There is no way", Mom said to him.

"There has to be! I wont give up!", he answered her.

"Charming, please calm down", Grams told her husband with a low voice. "One way or another we are going to find a way"

We were back at Granny's, five days after Grandpa had helped locate my parents. It had been five days, but we had not gotten any further in our process to find my mom and dad. I didn't really know if I wanted to see them or not, I just knew I wanted them home.

Ever sience Mom had told me that Dad had fallen through that portal after he had been shot, and that he was dead, a huge knot had lied in my chest, my heart. It had grew bigger when I saw Mom fall through the portal a few days after. I didn't think the knot would ever go away.

"If we just would have had a few beans left", Grams sighed and those words triggered something in my mind.

"The beans! of course!", I exclaimed. Everyone stared at me. I had not said many words sience we got back from Neverland.

"What do you mean, Henry? There are no more beans.", Gramps told me.

"No, but there are plants. Isn't that what you grew them on last time? We can take the plants that is in Mom's office and grow new beans and when they grow, we can go and get my Mom and Dad in The Enchanted Forest", I said and I could hear the hope in my own voice.

The others looked at eachother with chocked faces. Probably feeling stupid that non of them had figured that out before. Gramps gave me huge smile.

"I knew you were a smart kid", he said and looked proud. "Anton, do you think that would be possible?"

"Yeah, well I have to take a look at the plants first, but if they are still alive I can see no reason for it to not be possible", Anton answered.

I felt a hope burst out in my chest, it was a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time. The intire room seemed to brighted a bit when everyone realised we were one step closer to find my parents. But the light lasted just for a few seconds before everyone actually understood what it meant. We were one step closer to find them, yes, but it was not alive we were to find them.

Anton took of with Gramps, Grumpy and Mom, to go see if the plants were good enough to reproduce. I watched the door close after them and stared at the door even after it was shut and the belle had stopped ringing. Not until a hand sqeezed my shoulder I took my eyes of the door and then found Grams standing behind me. She smiled at me, but her eyes told me that she hurt as much as I did.

"Let's go home, Henry", she said, I just nodded in response.

"You miss her too, don't you?", I asked Grams when we got back to the apartment. I had spent most nights there sience we got back, and my mom seemed to understand. As soon as the question slipped from my lips I heard how stupid it sounded.

"Of course.", Grams answered and seemed to understand what I had meant. "I miss her all the time. I see her in everything, and everywhere."

"I miss her too, and Dad."

"I know honey, I know. You got way too little time with your parents"

"So did Mom"

"Yeah, she did"

"I think we should have a memorial ceremony for them. Like soon."

"That sound like a nice idea. I'll talk to the others and see what we can do"

"Okay, thanks"

"Of course, Henry."


	12. Chapter 12

I immediately collapsed when we got on to solid ground. My breath was unsteady and I felt Neal's hand on my back.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine"

"Where do we go from here?", Aurora asked. She seemed to be as out of breath as I was, which made me feel a bit better.

"I don't know but I have a feeling we will find out sooner if we split up. Emma and Neal can go one way and you, me and Mulan go another", Philip said.

"There is a big vault behind those doors. In there, there's several big doors who leads to more vaults. In there we can split up and start the search.", I said.

"How are we going to find out if the others have found anything?", Mulan asked.

"We 'kaa'", I said and heard Neal chuckle behind me.

"What?"

"I'm kidding. No, then we just have to find the others"

"Okay, see you later then.", Philip finished and grabbed Auroras hand before moving towards the big doors.

"So, did it hurt?", Neal asked me. I didn't have to ask what he meant.

"Well to be honest, I don't remember too much of just that, but the parts I do remember was rather painful, yes", I answered and I could see him nodd behind me.

"What about you? Did it hurt?", I asked him.

"Well, I was actually more worried about you and Henry to feel much pain of my own", he said and I was stunned by his honesty.

"You were worried about me?", I asked and stopped walking, just stared at him.

"Yeah, you weren't worried about me?", he asked and turned to me with a little smile. I resisted rolling my eyes.

"Of course, but I wasn't the one who was shot"

"No you were the one who was stabbed"

"You know what I mean"

"Fine. Well I just tried to put my self in your possition, and I know if you were the one to fall through a portal minutes after being shot, and I had to tell our son, and your parents, that you probably were dead, and on top of that melt it on my own, I would more or less have a breakdown."

Once again he suprised me by his honesty. Usually he would just make a joke and change the subject.

"I did", I said with a thin voice.

"You did what?"

"I did have more or less a breakdown". This time I was surprised over the honesty of my own words.

"You did?"

"Yeah. More, in the terms of being seconds from tears and spilling some by time to time,I was way more vulnerable than I usually am, and I delt like there was a part of me missing. And less, in the terms of not being able to show it all the time. Especially in front of Henry, but everyone else too, when the world was about to dissapear beneath our feet".

I could see some emotions flicker in his eyes but could not really read them.

"If I had to deal with that too, I would definitely have a breakdown", he said after a few seconds of silence.

"Are you doubting my love for you, mister?", I asked him with a smirk.

"Not at all. I was just in a discrete way trying to get you to show your love with another way than with words, maybe with a kiss" He smirked back at me.

"When it comes to the 'discrete' part, I have to inform that you failed", I said when he took a few steps towards me and cupped my cheeks.

"Did I succeed in any parts?"

"The 'get a kiss' part", I said before I leaned in to him and our lips tuched again.

The kiss told me about all the feelings I could not read from his eyes. Happiness, anger, sorrow, joy, passion and love.

When we separated our lips, we both pulled eachother into an embrace.

"Did that show you how much I love you", I asked against his chest. "Did that show you that I love you more than my own life?"

"It did"

"Good"

We stood scilent in eachothers embrace a few more minutes before Neal spoke.

"What exactly is it we are looking for?", He said

"Well, I'm not really sure. But I'm guessing something like a bean", I answered.

"It couldn't be that?", he said and I looked up at him, who had his sight fixated on something in front of us.

I followed his eyes and felt my heart skip a beat when I saw what he was looking the huge doors, was a giant garden, filled with burned plants.

"I would say it is exactly that"


	13. Chapter 13

"It will work! Anton says they are in good enough shape to be planted again!", Charming exclaimed the second he got through the apartment door.

"Sshh! Henry is upstairs trying to sleep", I told him and held up my forefinger over my mouth.

"Sorry. In just a few weeks we can go and get her, Snow. We can get her home", he said, and I forced a smile.

"Are we sure that's what we want to do?", I told him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well are we sure we want to get her back here? And not just go there, find her and restart our life there?". My question clearly threw him of guard. Obviously, he had not had that thought.

"Well, I haven't thought of that actually"

"I figured", I said with a little smile. "Well, what I thought was, that our plan before Tamara, Neverland and everything happened was to go back there. I have a feeling we will want to go back some time in the future, and that we will. If we do get Emma back here, and want to go back, we will be leaving her again. I don't want to do that. So I just thought that maybe we have to make a decision before we do anything else. 'Cause if we take her back, we are stuck here, and if we stay there, we are stuck there."

"Yeah, I guess you are right", he said and stared on the floor for a few seconds before he continued. "You know what it would be if I got to decide"

"You would go back"

"I would. I still want to rebuild our land, Snow"

"I know. I want that to"

"Then, what is stopping us from going back?"

"Henry"

"Henry? Why?"

"Well. If we went back, Regina would refuse anything else than him living with her. And of course, I understand her, he is her son. But he is also our grandson, and I don't want to lose him. I mean, here it is easy. It takes us ten minutes to walk over to Regina's, or Gold's on the other hand, but in The Enchanted Forest it takes hours before we would get to him. I get it if he would want, and would, live with Regina, but I am scared that if he would, Regina would cut us out of his life. Cause that is much easier there. And, Charming, I know his parents obviously have more access to him, but I don't want to lose him. For us, for him, and for Emma."

Charming didn't say anything. His face told me he was thinking hard on my words. Trying to find words to calm me, him, to find a solution.

"Grandma". I winched when I heard Henry's voice from the stairs. He walked down the stairs and took a seat beside Charming by the kitchen counter. He had started calling me 'Grams' or 'Grandma' for real when we got back from Neverland. We both looked at him.

"Grandma, you wouldn't lose me, I promise", he said and I felt my heart ache. " If we would go there, yes, I would probably live with Regina sience she's my mom too, but I would come visit you every weekend. And I would spend summer with you, and we would come to chistmas. I promise. I would never want to lose you either"

I took a few steps around the counter and pulled my grandson into a hug. He hugged me back, tight.

"Then I think you should decide, Henry. To stay or to go back?", I told him. I looked at Charming who nodded at me in response.

"Then I think we should go. That's your home, its Emma's and it will be mine. I was meant to grow up there, just like mom. I think both my parents deserve to rest in the place they were meant to spend their lives. So yeah, we should go.", Henry said and seemed determined.

"Okay then, I guess we are going back to The Enchanted Forest.", Charming said, and I could hear the little smile in his words.

"Yes, as soon as we get everyone else to accompany us", I said.


	14. Chapter 14

"So what do we do now?", I asked as we stared at the familliar lake. Lake Nostos.

"I guess you are going home", Aurora said, without taking her gaze from the lake.

"You're not coming with us?", Neal said and looked from Aurora to Philip to Mulan. "I mean, first of all I think it would get a little lonly here after a while, your only company is the ogres. And secondly, the three of you have saved both my own and Emma's lives, so we owe you big time. If you come with us we could make it up to you."

"And I know not only my mother will be happy to see you, but our whole families", I tabbed in and Neal nodded.

"You don't owe us anything..", Philip started, but Neal cut him of.

"Fine, but come with us back and meet everyone, we will help you find somewhere to live, and if you don't like it we will help you find a way to get back here"

Philip exchanged a look with Mulan, but it was Aurora who spoke up.

"Yes. We will come with you.", she said with a voice that was more determined than ever. Philip and Mulan looked surprised, but nodded behind Aurora.

"Great, then we go back toghether", I said and turned once again to Lake Nostos. I reached for one of the burned beans I had in my pocket. We had collected as many as we could, just in case. I was ready to throw the bean when a sudden realisation stroke me. What if Henry wasn't in Storybrook, but needed our help in Neverland. What if something had gone wrong after I had fallen through the portal in Neverland and the others hadn't been able to save him.

"Where are we going?", I said and turned to Neal who looked confused.

"What do you mean? We are going home, to Storybrook."

"What if they're not there?"

"Why wouldn't they be?"

"I don't know. What if something went wrong and they are still stuck in Neverland?"

"I don't think either of our parents or Regina would allow that. When they saw you fall through the portal, don't you think they got enough rage to overpower anyone or anything? I know I do."

"But what if?", I said with weak voice. Neal looked at me for a few seconds before he wrapped his hands around me and hugged me tight.

"We go to Storybrook, which is the most believeble place Henry would be in right now. If he's not there, we use another bean and go straight to Neverland. I promise."

"How are we going to get from Storybrook to Neverland?"

"Didn't you say that the water in the well in Storybrook are the same as the water in this Lake? Then we can just open a portal there."

I looked at Neal in wonder.

"Really, are you that surprised? I'm almost offended.", he said and gave me his pretend-to-be-hurt look.

I laughed and rested my head on his shoulder.

"I am not one bit surprised", I whispered to him.

"Good. Now let's go home, so I can prove to you that I am right about Henry being there to"

I rolled my eyes before I threw the bean in the water and saw the all too familliar green portal open.


	15. Chapter 15

(~12.00)

"It feels like a funeral",I said

"It's not a funeral, it's a memorial", Charming answered and put his hand on my knee.

'What's the difference?', I thought but didn't say it aloud.

I stood up from the chair I had been sitting in for the past 20 minutes and took in the sight around me. We were in the yard in front of Granny's bed and breakfast. It had been hard to come up with a place to have Emma's and Neal's memorial. We had wanted it to be somewhere where it could symbolice both of them, so the church had not been an option. Our first though was at the place where Neal had been shot, and had fell through the portal, but it had been way to small, and I didn't feel like it was much for Emma in it. Then we had though about outside either the apartment I shared with my family, or outside the police station, but Gold had rejected with the same argument I had about the dock. Finally, it was the B&B we had agreed about. Both Emma and Neal had stayed there for some time, so when the proposition came from Red it had just felt right. Archie had offered to lead the memorial and we had gladly accepted.

So there we were. A little stage with a rostrum had been builded in front of the chairs. We had counted on about 30 people to show up to the memorial so no more chairs had been brought. However, we had soon realised that we had been very wrong. In the past fifteen minutes, it seemed as the whole town had come to remember their savior and her son's father. Most people had brought blankets and had taken a free spot in the grass, while others who had not gotten a chair, choose to stand. Between the stage and the first row of chairs we had put pictures of our two lost loved ones, and in front of them was cards and flowers.

"Can you please sit down, it's about to start", said Charming and pulled me out of my thoughts.

"What about Henry? He is not here yet, and he can't miss this", I answered and looked harder out in the crown in surch for my grandson's head.

"Snow, Henry is sitting here, right next to me", Charming said and pulled me down on my chair again. I looked over my huband and saw my grandson smile at me. I returned the smile before I turned forward. Archie was now standing on the little stage with a mic in his hand, ready to start the memorial.

"Today we are here to give a thought and remember two people who are not with us anymore. Two people who both died protecting the ones they loved. Today we are here to remember Emma Swan and Neal Cassidy." I gasped a little when I heard my daughters name.

"Neal, who as most of us also went by another name, Bealfire, was a man who many of us didn't get much chance to get to know. But some things about him was very obvious. He was a man who loved the people who loved him back. He cared about right and wrong, and he died doing the right thing.", Archie said and took a step back when stood up from his chair in the front row on the opposite side from me and my family. We had agreed that each parent plus Henry would say something, hold a little speech.

Mr. Gold limped up to the stage in silence, everyone in the crowd as quiet as a fly and eyes focused on The Dark One. He cleared his throat before he spoke.

"When my son was born, I was the proudest father in the world. He was the child I had always wanted. When I looked at him I knew he was more than I could dream of. He was everything I needed, my happily ever after. As you may understand, this was during a time where the only magic I knew of, were in the tales told in my village. When magic however became an everyday thing, something permanent in my life, I lost my happily ever after. I lost the only person who I had ever been willing to give my life to. My son. But that wasn't the worst thing. No, but that my fourteen year old son had lost his father, that he now was completely without family, that was the worst. After the moment I lost my boy I spent the following centuries too look for him. I spent every minute of every day looking for a way to find my boy and give him his father back, to tell him all the things I didn't get the chance to do before. After very many years of looking, rivers of tears and blood shred, I did finally find him. I got my chance to say all the things I never got to say, to fix all the things I had ruined. I had the chance, and still I didn't take it. Once again I screwed my chances with my son, and once again I lost him. The difference here is that this time, this time it is forever"

It felt like time had stopped when 's voice died down. He made his way down the stage and when he passed me I could see a tear making its way down The Dark One's cheek. Tears was already streaming down my own face and blurring my vision, but I did my best to give him a smal smile which he didn't even notice.

After a few awkward seconds of silence Archie took a step forward and everyone seemed to start breathing again. A part of me could not believe how personal Gold had been and how much he actually had shared. Another part knew why he had, to get compation, to make people understand that everything he ever did, forgivable or not, he had a reason for.

"However, we did know Emma a bit better. We knew her as a friend, as our sheriff, but maybe be knew her best as the one who helped us remember who we are. She was a loved mother, daughter, friend and savior.", Archie said and looked at me as my que to get up on the stage.

I gave him a little unsecure nod before I rose from my seat and made my way up to the stage. I felt everyones eyes on me when I finally got on. I got the mic from Archie, who at the same time also gave me a look of sympathy. When I turned to the crowd, my cheeks was burning red and I had a mind block. What was I really gonna say? Gold had covered about everything I was gonna say about my daughter when he spoke about his son.

"Umm, well..", I started, heard my own voice stream loud long way, and panicked.I looked down at Charming. He seemed to understand my situation and gave me a undertanding yet supporting look. I took a few deep breaths, and just like that, I got the courage to speak and somehow knew what to say.

"In my head, I have these lists. Lists of the worst moments of my life, lists of my best. I have lists of the best things my mother taught me, and of the biggest mistakes of my life. On most of my lists, there is one person who seemed to be able to without problem take the first place. Emma. In the category 'biggest mistake', she makes it to the top, sience the decition to send my own daughter away, alone, for twenty-eight years always will hunt me, and forever be my number one there. That same incident is also the one who makes it to the top on my 'best decition' list. Even if I know that Emma was clueless and hurt for twenty-eight years, I know that if I hadn't made the decition to send her away, we would never have been toghether, never have got the time we got, I would never have gotten to be a grandmother to my beautiful grandson, and my daughter would not have been the person she is today. Was... I don't feel as if she is really gone. Every morning I wake up and expect to see her comming down the stairs, or sitting in the kitchen drinking cocoa. There is this part of me that have not accepted that she is gone, that I will never see her beautliful face again. I know that I won't be able to move on until that part of me have accepted it, but the thing is, that I don't know if I want to accept it. I do never want to move on from my daughter, I never want to be okay and accept that she is gone. I never will be. I will forever see her face in my dreams. I will always wonder why this happened and what I could have done to provent it...". I stopped and took a deep breath, looking out into the crowd.

Every word I said was true. I was as surprised by my own honesty as I had been with Gold's. My eyes rested on Charming for a few seconds. He was crying, and I knew it was 'cause he felt the same way. His love for Emma is as big as mine, and he would never accept the fact that she was gone either. Henry was holding on to both Charming's hand and Regina's in his place between them. Tears was streaming down his cheeks too, while he looked up at me. I continued to look at the people in the crowd, and dicovered that there was not one person who didn't seem to cry. Regina's cheeks was tearstained just like Hook's, Grumpy's eyes were red, and Red was openly crying against Granny's shoulder. My eyes swept over the rear crowd and landed on a blonde head about a hundred metres away. My heart ached on the similarity to my daughter.

"I will never stop seeing her..", I murmured, without strength to let go of my gaze on the blonde. My face turned into a frown when the blond head started to move, towards the front, and me. Four other people followed behind the blonde, and I didn't know if my brain was fooling me, but I had a feeling I knew at least four of the five people moving towards me, getting more clear with every step.

It felt as if my heart stopped when I could distinguish the blondes face, when I saw the face I never thought I would see again.


	16. Chapter 16

_Sorry, everyone. I got struck by a serious episode of writers block. I am planning on doing one last part, which I am posting before the premiere next week. It will probably even be posted tomorrow or the day after, 'cause my writing spirit it going up again. _

_Thank you all for the wonderful response and reviews! I know the story may need some editing, but I am from Sweden, and this is my first fanfiction ever, so I have decided to keep it as it is. Hopefully, my next fanfic won't have as much editing material as this one. ;) I hope you like this part and will hang on till the last (epilogue-ish) one. Enjoy! _

_Emma_

"Where is everyone?", I asked, while were walking the streets of Storybrook, the empty streets. There was no cars out, every store was closed and no people was to be seen, anywhere. A thought crossed my mind and panic spread through my veins.

"What if they're not here? What if everyone has left Storybrook?" I asked and stopped dead in my tracks.

"Why would they leave?", Neal asked and I could see his worried look from the corner of my eye. My mind was spinning and I couldn't think properly.

"They talked about it before, before everything..", I slurred out and started to spin, looking for any proof of life in the dead looking area of the town.

"No, no, nonono..", I started to mumble and I felt myself start to hyperventilate. This could not be happening… A sharp gasp left me as Neal grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look into his eyes.

"Don't do this, you do not get to do this. Do you hear me, Emma?", Neal said, with strong confidence. We stared at each other until my breath became regular again. I nodded and Neal let go of my arms.

I barely noticed Aurora, Philip and Mulan standing behind us, all tree confused enough to stay quiet and let Neal and I handle everything, even after my little attack.

I was almost certain the town was deserted and all hope was lost when a woman with a child came walking out an alley. Relief washed over me and I nearly crashed into the mother and daughter walking down the street in desperation of finding my own family. The both looked startled as five panting, dirty, random people came up from behind.

"Why are the town empty?", was the first thing flying out of my mouth.

"Excuse me?", said the brunette woman and pulled her daughter closer to her.

"Why is the town empty?". I repeated.

"Empty? What do you mean? It's not empty, everyone is at the memorial", the woman answered, clearly confused. Her answer took me of guard.

"Memorial? What memorial? Who died?", I said slowly, a horrible suspicion creeping on me. My voice rose as I spoke. "Is it for a boy? Is it for a little boy?"

"A boy? No. It's for the Savior and The Dark One's son.", she answered and started pulling the little girl with her, continuing their walk down the street. I looked at Neal and he stared back at me. Everyone really thought we were dead. Not a big surprise, but still. It took a few seconds before we collected ourselves and melted the information.

"Where is the memorial?", I yelled after the woman.

"In front of Granny's inn". I immediately started to move in the direction I knew led to the inn.

"What are we doing?", Neal called after me as I with speed made distance between me and them.

"We are crashing our memorial"

"Every morning I wake up and expect to see her coming down the stairs, or sitting in the kitchen drinking cocoa. There is this part of me that have not accepted that she is gone, that I will never see her beautiful face again. I know that I won't be able to move on until that part of me have accepted it, but the thing is, that I don't know if I want to accept it. I do never want to move on from my daughter, I never want to be okay and accept that she is gone. I never will be. I will forever see her face in my dreams. I will always wonder why this happened and what I could have done to prevent it...".

My mother's voice faded but pieces of her words rang in my head and I felt the tears burn behind my eyelids. _Sitting in the kitchen drinking cocoa… not accepted that she is gone… her beautiful face… never want to move on… I will forever see her in my dreams… always wonder why this happened and what I could have done to prevent it…_

I almost thought she looked at me and couldn't help but move towards her. I was in desperate need of one of her hugs, to be comforted by my mother. I made my way through the huge crowd with my four traveling companions behind me, and when the people around us started to recognize me and Neal, they gasped and moved to get a better look at us. 

Without taking my eyes of my mother I moved closer and closer to her. When I was no more than 50 meters away from her, she had started to move too. She had made her way down the stage, not taking her eyes of me either. She looked like she was scared to lose me if she did, which probably was the truth.

After both knew the ones we were staring at were who we thought, it didn't take long for us to get to each other. In less than 15 seconds had we closed the distance between us and had slung ourselves into the others arms.

"Mom", I sobbed into my mother's shoulder as I gripped her shirt as if it was my lifeline. She sobbed just as loud as she clung to me and buried her face in my hair. The sensation of being back in my mother's arms was enough to let myself enjoy the moment.

After an unknown time of just hugging and clinging on to each other mom pulled back and cupped my face with both her hands. She looked at me with tears flowing down her face and such love and admiration in her eyes that I knew I would never doubt her love for me again.

"Emma", she whispered with broken voice, one who also dripped of question and wonder.

"Yes, mom, it really is me", I answered, my voice as broken and shivering as my mother's.

"You're okay", she said before she pulled me into another bone-breaking hug. "I'm okay", I whispered back.

Our hug ended when something crashed into my side and I was reminded that Mary Margaret was not the only mother to be reunited with her child. I felt a new river of tears well up as I took my little boy in my arms. His little figure shaking with sobs and tears in my arms, as I lowered us down to the ground.

The feeling of my son in my arms was another than the feeling of being in my own mother's. I knew my own mom was fine and alive, while I could no more than hope that my family had gotten my son back from Neverland safe. Therefore, a huge wave of relief welled inside of me when I felt my son in my arms. I understood how my mother just had felt when I kissed Henry's face.

"You are safe, you are safe", I repeated, more to myself than Henry. I cried worse than ever and just held him for dear life. He held me just as tight and cried just as hard. "Mom", he sobbed into my shirt, gripping it tight.

We sat there for a very long time, just holding each other and taking comfort in the fact that the other person was safe. Not until it felt as if all my tears were shed, we broke and I kissed his face one more time. Henry looked passed me and got a look at his father. Not even a second later Henry had plunged himself into Neal's arms.

With new tears streaming down my cheeks, despite my belief of already having shed the last, I walked towards my father. He was standing a good five meters from the scene, in the middle of the isle, with tears streaming openly down his cheeks and sobs not far from bursting. I walked up to him and he cupped my cheeks in his hands, almost a disbelief behind the joyful and amazed eyes he looked at me with.

"Emma..?", he asked me hesitantly. I nodded and leaned into his hands. "It's really me, dad". He pulled me into a bear hug, both of us shacking of new sobs. I held him as much as he held me.

"I thought I lost you.. I thought we'd lost you, forever." I pulled out of the hug and looked deep into his eyes when realization washed over me.

"It wasn't your fault, you know that right?", I said, refusing to let him believe otherwise. David nodded, but I could see the lie behind it.

"Dad, it wasn't your fault. It really wasn't. Please, don't blame yourself. If you have to blame anyone, blame me. I was the one who was stupid enough to get caught when Hook and Gold even had warned me about the island and the risk of leaving the group on my own.", I told him and revealed some of my own well hidden guilt. Apparently I revealed too much and my father saw straight through me, and pulled me into another bone crushing hug.

"It wasn't your fault, Emma, all you did was being a parent. A parent trying to find its child"

"Did not make such a good job, though"

"You tried your best, Henry's safe, that's what counts"

"You do hear yourself, right? You really should think about taking your own advice", I whispered into his shoulder and a joyful feeling filled me when he chuckled warmly into my hair.

"Thank you, Emma", he whispered into my neck and I knew it was time to spill the secret that had been a fact since David had held me after Neal had fallen through the portal.

"I love you, dad". I felt him tense a second before he held me impossibly closer.

"I love you too sweetheart, so much."


End file.
